Rail-brace



(No Model) a G. HARGREAVES & S. A. BAUGH.

RAIL BEACH.

No. 427,315. Patents May 6, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE HARGREAVES AND SAMUEL A. BAUGH, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

RAI L-BRAC E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,315, dated May. 6, 1890.

Application filed January 14, 1890. Serial No.336,958. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE HARGREAVES and SAMUEL A. BAUGH, citizens of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of IVayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Braces, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in rail-braces; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction of a brace formed of the scrap in the manufacture of rails or in the utilization of old rails, heretofore the flange and stem of the rail having been useful only as scrap to be remelted, while the head of the rail has been utilized by rerolling into steel bars of various shapes.

Our invention consists in utilizing the flange and part of the stem of a rail for the manufacture of a rail-brace.

In the drawings which accompany this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of arailway-rail. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the flange and stem. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the blank, showing it partially manufactured into our improved railbrace. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the railbrace complete as applied in use. Fig. 5 is a side elevational view showing a modified form of manufacture. Fig. 6 isaside elevation showing the blank shown in Fig. 5 as made up into a completed brace. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the lower die, and Fig. S'is a side elevation of the upper and lower dies.

At the present time in the manufacture of steel rails there is a certain amount of waste at the end of each rail, which is slit off, which parts are wasted, except the head portion of the rail, which is used by rerolling into any desired shape for steel bars. In the utilization of old rails for various purposes the head portion alone has been utilized to reroll into steel bars, while the flange and stem of the rail have been used as scrap only.

A shows a railway-rail, of which a is the head, I) is the flange, and c is the stern. To utilize this after the rail has been worn, or to use up the portion that was cut ofi in the manufacture of the rail, the head portion a is cut from the stem portion in any suitable manner, leaving a T-shaped blank B, consisting of the flange b and the stem 0 of the rail. This has heretofore been of little use except as scrap. In the manufacture of our railbrace we utilize this blank B, cutting it into pieces of suitable length andbending one end or forging one end of suitable shape to form a bearing against the side of the rail. This We preferably do by forging the blank while hot, first insertingit into a suitable die and bending the end into the head d, as shown in Fig. 3, substantially at right angles to the body portion 6, and then in inserting the body portion 6 in a suitable receptacle in the bed of the die, and forming it with the vertical portion f and the shoulder g so that it will have a bearing against the side of the rail.

The dies that we use preferably consist of the bed 0, which has at one end the recess D, extending across the face of the bed, of suitable width and depth to receive the Web c'of the blank. in dotted lines in Fig. 7, a flat portion of the die E strikes the bottom of theflange and trues up the cut edge of the web 0. The blank is next laid on the bed with the web 0 in the recess F, with the end (1 extending beyond the side of the bed. The upper die is provided with a shoulder G, which strikes this portion (1 of the blank and bends it, as shown in Fig. 3. The blank is now removed and placed in the vertical aperture H, bearing with its lower end against an adjustable bearing-block I, while the upper die is formed at J with a particular shape to give the shape of the side of the rail to the bent portion or head at of the blank.

It is obvious that in bending the head (I back against the body 6 the web will be enlarged between the head and body portion at h. This enlarged portion of the web forms a truss or support for the upper portion of the brace. It is evident that it Will require considerable power, perhaps several blows of a drop-hammer, to give the requisite form to this head. If it is desired to quicken or simplify the manufacture of this part of the brace, we may cut away the V-shaped portion 41 of the web at the point where the bend is made in the blank to allow of the bending of the blank without injuring or buckling of the web portion of the metal, as shown in Fig. 5. It will be seen that the portion 6 forms a When in this position, as shown.

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convenient body portion to be spiked upon and flange of a rail and formed by forging a the tie beside the rail, While the head portion side bearing for the rail in the flange, the (1 forms a wide bearing against the side of stem forming a support or truss for said bear- I 5 the rail. If desired, the body portion 6 may ing, substantially as described.

5 be provided With suitable spike-holes j; but In testimony whereof We affix our signathis We do not consider necessary. tures, in presence of two Witnesses, this 30th What We claim as our invention is day of December, 1889.

1. Arail-brace manufactured from the stem GEORGE HARGREAVES. and flange of a rail and formed by forging a SAMUEL A. BAUGH. IO side bearing for the rail at one end of the Vitnesses:

blank, substantially as described. JAMES WVHITTEMORE,

2. Arail-brace manufactured from the stem M. B. ODOGHERTY. 

